2nd time gold attemp - updating live on forum

[pgm]

I'm not convinced, given todays e-scrap yields and chemical costs, that AR is the most prudent approach now.

generally i agree, but with this particular batch it might be worthwhile...
he can expect 1.2 grams give or take. that's 51-53$ today's market.

Edit: ohh yea, great post mic !

i hope i get 1.2 gram i have more to do, i really want to make my own button, not for selling but just to see that i also can do this process from start to finish.

 

[pgm]

Good instructions but don't forget to test. Stannous chloride is your friend!!!!!

When you get to the part where you think you've dissolved all of the gold, test the solution. If the solution has become saturated with base metals, your gold could be on the bottom with the stripped parts.

Years ago when hybrid circuits were high grade material, I would digest multiple 55 gallon drums of granulated circuits in aqua regia and allow the acid to digest the gold and the base metals and eventually drop the gold. Then by decanting the spent acid, which had no values (which is easily tested with stannous chloride) we were essentially left with a mix of insolubles and precious metals. Another digest in aqua regia dissolved the gold leaving the insolubles to be filtered off and leaving us with a nice clean acid, loaded with gold.

I'm not convinced, given todays e-scrap yields and chemical costs, that AR is the most prudent approach now.

Thanks for the testing info...should have really done this first this is very important....well now i have it and should come handy with pt and RH

 

[nickvc]

I think the reason your didn't get the coffee coloured precipitation you expected is that the gold is very dirty as you dissolved everything in AR. If you want clean metal refine your recovered powder using the hydrochloric first and add nitric as needed.

 

[pgm]

I think the reason your didn't get the coffee coloured precipitation you expected is that the gold is very dirty as you dissolved everything in AR. If you want clean metal refine your recovered powder using the hydrochloric first and add nitric as needed.

Thanks for the update nickvc, i have learn't this the hard way but wont forget.....what do you think i should do next filter and then add back into hcl and a little nitric and then do the drop agin.

what would be the next move? there are more pictures tonight....

 

[pgm]

ok is what happened....got a drop but very dity

ok i had 2 batchs one with 500ml of the green liquid and 1000ml of water first lets show you what happened to that drop

the test for gold in liquid came back nothing no colour change...but i still added more smb at the end after filtering the powder and a very little amount dropped

 

[pgm]

ok now for the 1500ml of liquid with out water this still gave off strong smile..very strong.

did drop but had to heat it up and then wait and it dropped

test for gold and had a colour change

 

[pgm]

this is what is left now i added some water while filtering and the colour has now changed to brown but i dont know if this is anything good so what do you poeple think?

 

[Anonymous]

Good lord....is that a 4000ml flask?If it is then it looks like you dropped a bunch of copper with your gold.You need to wash the powder anyways,so that will clean it up(it there is excess).
Seperate the powder from the liquid by decanting(pouring off the liquid-carefully),then cover the powder with water and boil it,decant again,boil in clean muriatic and look at the color of the acid after it boils.Most likely it will be light green.If so then decant the acid and repeat until the acid is clear with no discoloration.Then boil it in water,decant and repeat this step 2 more times.Dry the powder and melt......Can't wait to see the button.

 

[pgm]

hi mic this is a 3000ml flask, so i have the 2 filter papers shall i now put them in a flask and put some water to clean. the picture you see with the brown liquide has been filtered shall i decant that but there is nothing in the bottom i have added smb to see what happenes in the morning, i am hoping for something to drop.

what do i do with the filter paper shall i add them in a empty flask or shall i put them in the liquid which you want me to decant....

i have the following

2 filter papers with powder
1x 3000ml flask with the brown liquid

shall i do these seperatly or together...and how did the copper drop

 

[Anonymous]

The copper may have dropped if you accidently added too much SMB.It's no problem.We can fix that later.
The only reason you would want to keep them seperated is if you are keeping a log of how much gold you get for each process.If you are not trying to keep track then you can mix them all together.Make sure you do not decant anything until you test to make sure it is negative for gold and all of the fine powder has finished dropping to the bottom.Once you have done this you can start washing the powder using the clean water and clean acid baths I mentioned earlier.......you are doing good bud.You are almost there.

 

[pgm]

thanks mic

it's with all your help that i have come this fare this quick thankyou, how do you check you have gold in the liquide?, is it red colour or orange i have put up pictures. i will post again.

i will decant then when i boil i will add all of it in one batch this will save the head ache.

 

[Anonymous]

That is one beautiful looking Qtip.

 

[lazersteve]

The swab test doesn't look like gold to me, gold is a purple to black colored on a swab. If you tested with stannous after adding SMB, you may have formed sulfides which are dark brown or black colored, this is a common 'false positive'.

Wiki has a good article on tin chloride:

Tin (II) Chloride

SMB will precipitate copper I chloride if copper II chloride is in the solution. Copper I chloride dissolves easily in HCl (muriatic acid). SMB will also precipitate metallic Pd from solutions with free nitric in them.

Steve

 

[lazersteve]

Here's a very close photo of a swab that was purple/black that I diluted with a squirt of water to show the purple color:

The swab in my photo is from a dirty gold solution (copper contamination) containing about 3-5 grams per liter. This is why you may see the green/yellow ring around the stick of the swab in the photo. Notice how the swab in my photo has a 'halo' of purple around the purple/black spots. Before I diluted the test swab with water, it appeared jet black, not dark brown.

Your photo is dark so it's hard to tell what the true color of the test result is, but it appears distinctly brown to my eye. Try spraying a few drops of water on your swab and looking at it in bright light to determine if the purple color is present. If you see the purple color after diluting the test results then you do have gold.

A secondary test for gold is to place a small amount of the pregnant solution in a well on a spot plate and add a crystal of ferrous sulfate. A dark precipitate indicates gold.

Steve

 

[goldenchild]

I wouldnt wash the power from the filters. You will then be filtering again and chasing your tail. More losses are also likely. I would put the filters into another clean vessel and digest with AR. This time adding the acids in small increments! In the end you should only have silver chloride(if any) and mushy filter paper at the bottom of the vessel. Filter this solution well, test with stannous and drop the gold(if any). At this point the gold should be quite clean. You could also incinerate the papers but I have a feeling that until you become more experienced in this, there may be losses with this procedure to too.

For the brown liquid. Let it settle 100%. Test with stannous. If positive add a small amount of smb. Keep testing until its negative. After 100% settling decant the liquid. Boil in HCL to easily get rid of copper chloride. Filter any power that may be left over. Refine this remaining powder in AR and proceed normally.

 

[pgm]

I wouldnt wash the power from the filters. You will then be filtering again and chasing your tail. More losses are also likely. I would put the filters into another clean vessel and digest with AR. This time adding the acids in small increments! In the end you should only have silver chloride(if any) and mushy filter paper at the bottom of the vessel. Filter this solution well, test with stannous and drop the gold(if any). At this point the gold should be quite clean. You could also incinerate the papers but I have a feeling that until you become more experienced in this, there may be losses with this procedure to too.

For the brown liquid. Let it settle 100%. Test with stannous. If positive add a small amount of smb. Keep testing until its negative. After 100% settling decant the liquid. Boil in HCL to easily get rid of copper chloride. Filter any power that may be left over. Refine this remaining powder in AR and proceed normally.

Thanks goldenchild for the feedback, i got told the same by Steve, the last time i did this...more pictures coming after decant....

 

[pgm]

ok another update


ok i took the brown liquid and decanted, saved the brown liquid and put some more smb and tested but no colour change.


i took the powder left once washed and added the 2 filter paper in a and added some hcl then heated, did this and added small amount of nitric...very small amount 10ml and then tryed to add 1ml but no reaction so stopped adding. the colour went green. light green

i also had some powder from my last test so i now have

1 test for the fingers which we are currently doing and have started this post and

1 test with cpu, i did this 1st time round and got stuck and put the powder away, now i think this was dirty and just needed cleaning. so this is yellow in colour
keeping both separte just in case,

 

[pgm]

ok so i am currently

filtering from doing AR with both samples

the green test is the fingers and the yellow is the old powder from my first try with cpu

i did stannous test both came purple

green liquid came out dark purple

yello liquid came out light purple

now my question is how much smb should i add to 200ml of liquids for both, i added 6g smb last time to 800ml of hcl and 250 ml of nitric

 

[lazersteve]

After the solutions are filtered clear (100% free of sediment) rinse the liquids into two straight sided beakers.

Next add a sprinkle of SMB to each, less than 1/2 gram to each beaker. Stir each with a glass rod unitl the SMB dissolves. If the color of the solution in each beaker does not lighten then go dark after the SMB dissolves add anohter small sprinkle (no more than 1 gram total). Stir again and let the solutions set for 15 minutes to see if they are going to change to a dark color. Keep adding small amounts of SMB with stirring, then wait to see if the color shifts.

Once the color of the solutions shifts place the beakers on a hot plate and set the temperature to low. Do this outdoors or under a good fume hood. The fine gold particles should begin to adhere to one another and start to settle as the solutions heat up.

Steve

 

[pgm]

After the solutions are filtered clear (100% free of sediment) rinse the liquids into two straight sided beakers.

Next add a sprinkle of SMB to each, less than 1/2 gram to each beaker. Stir each with a glass rod unitl the SMB dissolves. If the color of the solution in each beaker does not lighten then go dark after the SMB dissolves add anohter small sprinkle (no more than 1 gram total). Stir again and let the solutions set for 15 minutes to see if they are going to change to a dark color.

Once the color of the solutions shifts place the beakers on a hot plate and set the temperature to low. Do this outdoors or under a good fume hood. The fine gold particles should begin to adhere to one another and start to settle as the solutions heat up.

Steve

Thanks Steve back in a few hours with more pictures.....